Dancing With Death
by homesweethomicide13
Summary: They met over a homicide case. They regularly fight over a homicide case. But just as a cop needs laws and the law needs cops, Kakuzu and Hidan need each other, whether they like it or not. AU KakuHida- NOW A SERIES.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Dancing With Death  
**Author:** homesweethomicide13  
**Rating:** T  
**Pairing:** KakuHida  
**Warning:** Profanity, mentions of sexual content, yaoi.  
**Disclaimer:** Although I'd treat them better, they're not mine.  
**Summary:** They met over a homicide case. They regularly fight over a homicide case. But just as a cop needs laws and the law needs cops, Kakuzu and Hidan need each other, whether they like it or not.

**Dancing With Death**

The sleek, tall building was considered a landmark of the city, with its memorable black glass windows and silver structure, a huge red cloud emblazoned halfway up, in plain sight of anyone who happened to glance at it. Everyone knew the name 'Akatsuki', and everyone knew of its reputation as a law firm.

Behind a desk made of similar black glass, Asaito Kakuzu signed his name at the foot of an important document, slipped it into a slim, black file, and set it to one side to be picked up by his assistant the next morning. He sat back in his chair and swivelled it around to stare out at the city through his office windows. He was Akatsuki's top attorney, their golden boy. As such, he was rewarded with a huge office at the top of the building, and a bank account that never seemed to run low.

He'd earned it all himself, of course, through hard work. He hadn't paid to put himself through law school to simply cheat his way to the top. He was good, and he knew it. His name was recognised by anyone who hadn't lived under a rock for the past ten years. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, taking a long, slow breath. He'd been doing paperwork all day, balancing cases precariously, and finishing up those that had already been solved. It had been a long day, to say the least.

He'd just reached the decision to finish up for the day and head home when the phone on his desk buzzed, signalling that his assistant was trying to contact him from the next room. He'd never liked the idea of an intercom system for two rooms next to each other – such a waste of money. What happened to the good, old-fashioned, _knocking_? He had a door for a reason, after all. He turned around and hit the button to answer her persistent buzzing.

"Yes, Temari?" He asked with an exasperated sigh. He was already dreading whatever it was that she had to tell him. He ran a hand through russet brown locks that were starting to curl out of the straight, smart style he'd forced them into that morning, and prepared for the worst. What was it this time? A new case? An old case being re-opened due to new evidence? His salary was being cut for whatever reason?

"I have a Lieutenant Omairikagai here. He's demanding to see you, sir." There was a soft _thunk_ as Kakuzu's forehead hit his glass desk. "Sir?" Temari's tentative voice came a moment later, and Kakuzu realised he probably had to give her a reply.

"… Send him in." He didn't care if the annoyance in his voice was obvious. He took his finger off the button to switch off the intercom and leant forward, leaning on his desk, his dual-coloured eyes focused on the glass. Any second now and-

"Oi, Stitches!" Lieutenant Omairikagai flung open the door with such force that it slammed into the wall beside it, and Kakuzu winced. He thought he'd heard something crack on impact – that would need repairing, and repairs cost money. Damn idiot. "You get a new assistant? Blonde bitch didn't seem to recognise me." Kakuzu rubbed at his temples, already feeling a headache coming on.

"Temari is a temp. Kurenai's off on maternity leave for the next nine months." He informed the Lieutenant, finally lifting his eyes from the desk and focusing on the man standing in his doorway. Lieutenant Omairikagai Hidan, Homicide Division – thirty-two years old (but looked ten years younger), devilishly handsome with slicked back silver hair and vibrant violet eyes, almost inhumanly athletically built, and wearing a uniform that should have been neater, but looked damn good on him.

And the bane of Kakuzu's very existence.

"Oh yeah. Forgot she was all…" Hidan curved his hands in front of his stomach in an attempt to mime a pregnant woman. One long leg lifted, twisted, and hooked around the wooden door he'd so carelessly thrown open. With one swift movement, the door was slamming shut and Hidan was striding towards him. "Fuck, you look tasty when you're all…" he waved one hand at Kakuzu's appearance, his brain working to find the right words. "Ruffled. Rugged. Mmm." Making sure he gave Hidan his iciest glare, Kakuzu leant back in his chair.

"What do you want?" He demanded, already irked. His level of patience was never that high, but it dropped severely whenever Hidan was within earshot. If the idiot was in the same room, it was almost non-existent. Hidan eased a hip up onto the edge of the desk, perching there as if he owned it. Which, of course, irked Kakuzu even more.

"I've got a case." Instantly, Kakuzu was straightening up.

"No." He growled out, pushing back from the desk so he could stand up. "We've been through this, Hidan. I'm not your lapdog. If you've got a case, you go through the standard procedure, and you take whatever lawyer we throw at you." Hidan's carefree – and slightly cheeky – grin faded quickly from his face, to be replaced with a scowl that Kakuzu had come to know very well.

"Yeah, and they'll give us some moron fresh out of law school, we'll lose the case, and this piece of shit gets away with manslaughter instead of murder one!" Kakuzu leant forward, placing his hands on the desk.

"Not my problem." He murmured coldly. Hidan slid down off the desk and whirled so he was facing Kakuzu, slamming his hands onto the surface of the desk, mere inches from Kakuzu's.

"You cold-hearted piece of shit!" The Lieutenant hissed, purple eyes alight with rage. "Don't you fucking stand there and act like you don't care! Why the fuck did you become a prosecutor if you don't care if assholes like this cunt get away with taking lives?"

"It's not my case. It's not my problem." Kakuzu hissed back. They glared at each other stubbornly for several long moments, static tension rising around them. And then they were kissing – rough, angry, teeth nipping at lips and hands pulling at hair. Kakuzu grabbed a handful of Hidan's shirt and dragged him onto the desk, slamming him down hard onto its surface before climbing up on top of him, carelessly knocking aside everything that had been on the desk. Their lips were joined once again, Hidan's hands pushing at the suit jacket Kakuzu wore, desperate to get it off. Kakuzu knelt up a little and slipped it off, draping it down onto his chair, before leaning down to latch his teeth onto the flesh of Hidan's throat.

This was how it always was with the two of them. Nothing was gentle, or loving. It was always rough, brutal, and fast. Kakuzu hated the sound of Hidan's voice – but he could bear it when it was laced with pleasure, screaming his name. He hated Hidan's naturally athletic build – except when it was beneath him, wrapped around him, grinding against him. He took pride in the knowledge that only he was permitted to do these things to the police detective.

When they'd first met, Kakuzu had been annoyed at the constant flirting and perverted behaviour of the primary on the homicide case. He'd researched him thoroughly, and discovered that Detective Omairikagai – for he'd only been a detective back then – was a massive flirt, and an easy lay. Yet, after having a taste of what Asaito Kakuzu had to offer, the sex-driven officer had tossed aside his many lovers in favour of a somewhat monogamous sexual agreement.

As he lapsed into memories, Hidan was able to gain the upper hand, and pulled at Kakuzu's shirt as he hooked a leg around the older man's hips, and twisted – intending to flip the lawyer onto his back on the desk in order to take complete advantage of him. Hidan, however, was never much of a thinker at the best of times, preferring to go by his instinct instead of his brain, and therefore his genius plan to take control of the situation failed dramatically when the two men simply flipped off the desk entirely. Hidan's back slammed into the floor, but Kakuzu managed to catch himself before he landed heavily on top of the younger man. Well, his top half was saved from connecting with the police officer. His hips, however, slammed into Hidan's, causing them both to utter a low groan of pleasure.

"Fuck. You need a bigger desk." Hidan murmured, wincing slightly at the dull ache that had settled at the base of his spine. Despite how much this man pissed him off, Kakuzu smirked.

"You didn't complain about the size of it that first time." His voice was smooth as silk, more like a purr than anything, and he leant down to ghost his lips over Hidan's Adam's Apple. Hidan grinned as he was taken back to the very first time Kakuzu had taken what he'd been offering for weeks. He remembered the cool glass against his bare skin, his fingers gripping tightly to the edges as Kakuzu's nails dug into his hips, their moans, gasps and groans entwined in a symphony of desire.

"Yeah, well. I was a bit fucking distracted." He fisted his hand in Kakuzu's hair, and dragged those sinful lips up to his own, earning another low groan from the attorney. He loosened his hold on the curling russet locks and slithered his hand underneath the collar of Kakuzu's shirt, feeling the older man shiver under his touch. Even after all the times they'd fucked, he still had this effect on him. It would be so easy to bend the lawyer to his will, make him beg for what he had become addicted to – but despite how fun it would be, Hidan much preferred to be the one being manipulated, teased. He liked it when Kakuzu was the master, totally in control, and he was the slave, the pet, pleading at his feet. Not that they'd _ever_ done any sort of roleplay before, of course… The memory brought a smirk to Hidan's face, and he masked it quickly behind a sharp bite on Kakuzu's bottom lip. When Kakuzu pulled back and stared at him with such raw desire, Hidan knew he was about to be thoroughly fucked into the expensive carpet.

If only his phone hadn't gone off right at that moment. When he felt the warning vibrate in his pocket, he swore loudly – and then came the sound of his favourite song. Kakuzu cursed under his breath as he recognised Hidan's ringtone, and knelt up over the officer so he could access the phone. Swearing repeatedly, Hidan pulled the phone free from his trouser pocket and flipped it open, holding it to one ear.

"Lieutenant Omairikagai." It had taken all of his self-control to not ask the caller what the fuck they wanted. Especially since this was his work phone, and there was a fifty-fifty chance that the caller was either his superior or a member of his team. Whilst the latter would be used to being sworn at rather viciously for disturbing him (or for simply saying good morning to him – swearing was almost like Hidan's first language), the former would certainly not appreciate it and would most likely deal out some sort of punishment for it.

Kakuzu watched as the police officer conversed with whoever was on the other end – watched the emotions passing across the face he'd stubbornly refuse to admit he liked looking at. Annoyance quickly shifted into curiosity, and then into frustration – and finally anger. Judging from the lack of swearing, Kakuzu surmised that Hidan was talking to his superior, and judging from the fury that had now leapt graciously into those violet eyes, he wasn't hearing good news. When Hidan snapped the phone shut and tossed it to one side in anger, Kakuzu leant down and pinned the homicide detective's wrists above his head before he could throw something else.

"Calm." He murmured. If any of Hidan's team had been in the room at that moment, they would have seen a truly amazing thing – with just one word, Kakuzu had the division's most violent and short-tempered officer forcing back his anger. Only once violet eyes had cleared of rage did Kakuzu let go of his wrists. Leaving him sprawled on the floor, jacket and shirt rumpled and twisted, Kakuzu got to his feet and began picking up the various items he'd knocked from his desk. "What's the case?" He settled for standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows behind his desk, looking out at the city.

"Homicide." Hidan stated, still lying on the floor. He sat himself up, straightening out his shirt and fixing his jacket, before getting to his feet. "Victim is Touji Mizuki, 29, male. Lived out in Konoha county." Kakuzu nodded, turning his gaze to the east of the city he could see from the window. Konoha county was somewhere in that direction, and if he really concentrated, he could just about make out the edge of the mountain that bordered the county on one side. "Killed three days ago by his flatmate, Yamashiro Aoba. Guy was crucified to the living room wall by his own nail gun." Kakuzu turned from the window with a wince.

"Ouch." Hidan was perched on the desk again, and he nodded grimly.

"It was the nail through the forehead that killed him." Hidan added after a pause, and scowled.

"So, what is this Aoba pleading?" Kakuzu enquired. He knew Hidan well enough now to work out that this wasn't an everyday case. Hidan wouldn't bring him something unless he really did need his help – but that didn't mean Kakuzu had to give it. Just because Hidan let him do all manner of things to him didn't give him a permanent link to the law firm.

"Not guilty. Claims it was an accident, a spur of the moment thing. Playing the part of devastated friend beautifully. They should give him a fucking Oscar." Hidan was biting at his nails – a sign of frustration. Kakuzu wandered back to the desk and sat in his chair, moving his jacket, and gently closed a hand around Hidan's wrist, forcing him to stop biting his nails. "His statement is that they were arguing over a girl they both liked, things got a bit heated and he grabbed the nail gun out of self-defence. The nail gun has been confirmed to belong to Mizuki, and there's no evidence to suggest pre-meditation was involved. We'll be taking it to trial soon, and we'll push for Murder One, but without solid evidence he'll be served with Manslaughter Two. He's got fucking ace lawyers. But I know he's lying. I interviewed their mutual friends, and not one of them has mentioned a girl both of them were interested in. Mizuki had a long-term relationship with one Umino Iruka about five years ago." Hidan met Kakuzu's eyes. "And after some digging, I've unearthed the knowledge that Mizuki was well and truly bent."

"Probably best not to use that term in the courtroom, Hidan." Kakuzu cut in, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, this brings up the question of what they were really fighting over. If Mizuki goes for cock, as the evidence suggests, then there'd be no reason for him to be fighting over a girl with his flatmate. I'm thinking Aoba wasn't just a flatmate, but a lover, and that their 'fight' was a bit more serious than a pissing contest over a chick."

"You have such a way with words. It's a wonder you haven't cracked this guy already." Kakuzu muttered, voice dripping with sarcasm. Hidan chose, for the moment, to ignore it. "So, what do you intend to do?" Loosely translated, Hidan knew, that meant 'what do you need me for?'

"If I can convince Yahiko that there's more to this case than what's in the open, I can dig around for some new evidence. I can prove that this guy intended to kill his flatmate-slash-lover and get him in that courtroom." Violet eyes met red-and-green, and Kakuzu sighed inwardly. Here it comes… "I could use a pretty damn good lawyer to get him the sentence he deserves."

"What's in it for me?" If they'd been negotiating anything else, Hidan would have smiled in that mischievous, cheeky way that sent shivers down Kakuzu's spine, and murmured something dirty and full of promise. But when it came to his job, Hidan was pretty damn serious.

"Look, Kakuzu, I'm asking for a favour here. This guy, Mizuki? He was almost a fully-trained doctor, with good health, and one heck of a family that loved him to fucking bits. Even the ex-boyfriend, Iruka, was in pieces when I interviewed him. Everyone I talked to has told me that Mizuki never did a thing to hurt anyone. So what gives this prick Aoba the right to nail him to a wall and walk away with his head held high, having gotten away with murder? I won't let this piece of shit get away with this, Kakuzu." His eyes hardened now, and his jaw set stubbornly. "If you won't lend me a fucking hand, I'll find someone else who will." Kakuzu lifted a hand, and caught Hidan's chin with his thumb and forefinger, tilting his face towards him. Very slowly, he leant in and placed a ghost of a kiss over Hidan's pale lips.

"You're irritating." Kakuzu murmured. When Hidan opened his mouth to swear at him, he clamped the man's mouth shut and pressed a finger to the same spot he'd just kissed, hushing him. "You storm in here, swearing and shouting, breaking my door-," Hidan sent a guilty glance towards the door, but his eyes snapped back to Kakuzu's face when the man spoke again, "and you drive me insane to the point where I consider a homicide myself. But when you take on a case, you take on the responsibility to give the victim the very best you can, and to bring their killer to justice no matter what. You stand for the dead, and you stand firm. You're the best damn cop I've ever crossed paths with, and I know you'll bring this bastard down, for Mizuki. For Iruka. For his family and friends. That's what makes you so damn attractive to me." Pleased at the look of utter surprise on Hidan's face, Kakuzu pulled back and shrugged. "When you have enough for a trial, hand over the case to my assistant and I'll see what I can do to put that bastard behind bars for life."

Kurenai would have told him that he'd done it out of love for Hidan. She'd have smiled in that teasing way of hers and asked him when the wedding was. He'd have denied any sort of feelings for the cop, possibly making some crude remark about how the rewarding sex was totally worth the paperwork, but deep down, he wouldn't be arguing with her. Because he did love Hidan, more than he cared to think about.

When the homicide detective had first strolled into his office, all loud-mouth, bad language and attitude, Kakuzu had been intrigued. When they'd shook hands across his desk, he'd felt the spark, and he knew Hidan had too. When they'd argued for the first time, with things threatening to get violent, they'd channelled that anger into raw, wild passion, and Kakuzu had taken him right on this very desk. When they closed the case, with the killer locked up for life, they'd come together again, spending the entire night in various different rooms in Kakuzu's house, blaming it on too much alcohol and a pressing need to relax the next morning.

They'd agreed it was just sex. Completely physical, and nothing more. When Hidan had come to him with another case, he'd intended to decline – but a fantastic blowjob in an elevator later, and Kakuzu was reading through the case notes to familiarise himself with the situation, ready for the trial. When Kakuzu had seen on the news that Detective Omairikagai Hidan had been injured in the line of duty, he'd pretended that his heart hadn't skipped a beat, and denied the fact that he'd called up the station to see if it was serious. When he overheard two of Hidan's fellow detectives talking about Hidan's date that evening, he'd pretended not to feel jealous – and he'd pretended not to feel relieved when Hidan had knocked on his door that same evening with a bottle of wine and a glint in his eye (they barely made it up the stairs that night). His heart _didn't_ race whenever Hidan smiled at him, or touched him, or kissed him. He _didn't_ spend a good portion of his day wondering if Hidan was okay. He _didn't_ stare at his phone during his lunch break, wondering if he should give Hidan a call and see if he had a few minutes to spare.

Except he _did_.

His heart was racing now, as Hidan's face broke out into a grin and he slid over the desk until he landed in Kakuzu's lap, hooking both arms around his neck before crushing their lips together. He circled his arms around Hidan's waist, holding him tightly against him. Hidan was a cop, a detective, trained to spot the finer details. He didn't miss anything. Hidan knew this was no longer about sex. It was no longer just simple, physical attraction.

Their 'dates' had stopped being a bottle of wine, a takeaway Chinese and a night of passion, and were now the sort of thing you dressed up for. If they ate, it was in a fancy restaurant. And if the night ended in sex, it wasn't just because they could, but because they wanted to. Nights spent together now often included some relaxing peace in front of the TV watching a movie or a stupid reality show that they could both laugh at. Sometimes one or both of them would sit and catch up on paperwork. Beverages often consisted of coffee and water, instead of alcohol. Phone calls weren't just about work, but because one of them missed the sound of the other's voice. Lunch breaks at the station were often organised to coincidentally coincide with Kakuzu's. Calls made under the pretence of needing advice or opinions on cases were simply excuses to talk to each other, or organise time to spend together.

Hidan had stopped sleeping around. He'd even cut back on the flirting.

Kurenai, Tsunade, Madara and Kisame had stopped trying to set Kakuzu up with friends of theirs.

Both of them were satisfied with what the other had to offer. They didn't need anything else.

"You're a fucking god, you know that?" Hidan murmured, trailing kisses down to Kakuzu's throat. "If I didn't have to get back to the station, I'd show you how much I fucking worship you right now." Kakuzu smirked, and ran a hand up Hidan's spine beneath his shirt, bringing their lips together briefly.

"Go on, idiot. Get back to work." He smiled a little, and Hidan grinned. "Find me some good evidence to use against this prick."

"Oh, I will." He clambered out of Kakuzu's lap, and took a moment to straighten himself up again. Kakuzu watched him for a moment, and then licked his lips, which had become rather dry all of a sudden.

"Hey…" He murmured, catching Hidan's attention. "Dinner, tonight?" Hidan had every right to be surprised. The few times a date had been asked so officially, it had been Hidan who'd done the asking. Kakuzu much preferred to skirt around the subject and do the asking subtly, under the pretence of something else. He smiled a little, and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Sure. I should get off at 7." He shrugged one shoulder casually, and Kakuzu nodded a little.

"I'll, uh… pick you up around 8, then?" When Kakuzu posed it as a question and not a statement, Hidan had to force back a grin.

"Sounds good." He bent down, pressed a quick kiss to the stitches that curved across Kakuzu's cheek, and then strolled to the door. "I'll see you tonight, handsome." Kakuzu couldn't help but smirk as he realised Hidan was adding extra swing to his hips as he walked, and didn't feel guilty at all for tilting his head a little and watching him walk out of his office with an appreciative smile on his lips. He wasn't surprised to find that he was really looking forward to that evening.

They'd been skirting around this whole thing for almost two years. Maybe it was about time they made things a bit more… official.

Maybe it was time he asked Hidan to move in.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Step Forward - Dancing With Death**

The restaurant wasn't empty, but it was comfortably full – enough tables were full to give that relaxing, low murmuring background noise, but it wasn't crowded. Kakuzu leant back in his chair, scanning the faces around him as he lifted his wine glass and took a sip, smiling a little as he met the eyes of _his_ cop across the room – Hidan strolled over, sliding into the chair opposite. Kakuzu cringed as the cop wiped his hands roughly on his trousers.

"They have hand towels in the bathrooms for a reason, you know." He murmured, setting his glass down again. Hidan smirked and shrugged as he reached for his glass of vodka & lemonade.

"Yeah, and my trousers are probably ten times cleaner." He took a large swig of his drink before setting the glass down with a loud thunk, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth a moment later.

"Your table manners leave little to be desired." Kakuzu commented dryly, observing him closely. He'd changed out of his uniform sometime between the end of his shift and when Kakuzu picked him up from his apartment, but to say that he was smartly dressed was giving him too much credit. The dress shirt he'd dragged on clearly hadn't been ironed since it was first bought, and he'd rolled the sleeves up in a rather careless manner. It remained untucked, and the tie he'd obviously added at the last minute was tied so badly it actually made him cringe. Still, he'd made the effort, and he didn't look half-bad, so Kakuzu decided to overlook the scruffy state of his date – even if he looked rather out of place at the same table as an impeccably smartly dressed man.

"Manners are overrated." Hidan shrugged again, grinning at him. "Everyone likes to pretend they're civilised when they're in public, but I bet you anything they're all complete slobs when they're behind closed doors in their own homes." He drank again, eyes fixed on Kakuzu over the rim of his glass. "Except you, of course. Only time I ever see you relax is after we have sex." Kakuzu simply rolled his eyes and made a deliberate show of drinking from his glass, choosing not to respond to Hidan's statement. "Did you go home and straighten your hair before picking me up?" It took a lot of skill for Kakuzu to avoid choking on his mouthful of wine.

"What?" He gasped out, incredulous. Hidan shot him a playful smirk.

"Oh, please. Don't play innocent." He leant across the table, the playful smirk transforming into his infamous mischievous grin. "I've seen your hair in the mornings, mister. It's not naturally that damn straight." He laughed a little at the look on Kakuzu's face, and sat back in his chair. "It looked a little… untamed, earlier. Since it's now absolutely fucking perfect again, I figured you'd brought out the straighteners again."

"… That is an absurd assumption to make, Hidan." He finally responded, avoiding Hidan's gaze. "Besides, there is nothing wrong with being well-groomed, especially in a rather fancy restaurant. You might not care about appearances, but I do."

"Bullshit." Hidan grinned. "If you really cared that much, you wouldn't be caught dead sitting in a restaurant with Lieutenant Omairikagai." He waved a hand at the other people in the room. "Any one of these morons could be a journalist, y'know. They could be watching us, right now, noting down that the infamous Asaito Kakuzu appears to be having dinner with the city's most rebellious cop. I'm sure you wouldn't want that to be all over the newspapers tomorrow." Without any hesitation, Kakuzu leant across the table and caught Hidan's scruffy tie in one hand, dragging the younger man towards him. Before the cop could protest or question his actions, he brought their lips together, pulling away after only a moment.

"Let them say what they like." He smiled as he settled back in his chair. Hidan sat there, frozen in surprise, for a good minute or so before he found his voice again.

"Alright… what the hell is up with you?" He frowned a little, obviously confused. "Not that I'm complaining much, but… first, you directly ask me out on a date – which you _never_ do – then you bring me to a rather public restaurant not far from either the station or the bar your colleagues haunt every evening, and instead of choosing a more private table near the back, you booked one right by the big ass window where everyone can see us – and _then_ you bloody kiss me in the middle of said restaurant and now people are looking at us and you're sat there looking as comfortable as if we were alone and-,"

"Move in with me."

"-you're never this comfortable with me in public, and… wait, _what_?" Rendering Hidan speechless was never going to be possible, but Kakuzu was satisfied with the astounded expression on the cop's face as he finally registered what he'd just said to him.

"You heard me." Kakuzu replied smoothly, taking a sip of wine. "Move in with me."

"You… did you hit your head or something? Are you ill? _Dying_?" Kakuzu couldn't hold back the smile that wanted to cross his face. Trust Hidan.

"No, I am not dying – nor am I ill, and if there was ever a time I might have made a rash decision due to a bang on the head, it would have been when I decided to involve myself romantically with a sex-driven idiot." When Hidan continued to stare in surprise, he rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Hidan. I think you should move in."

"But… isn't that… I mean… it's a bit fast, right?" Kakuzu had never seen the homicide cop look so uncomfortable before. Pushing back the feeling that he'd just made a terrible mistake, he sighed.

"Hidan, how long have we been… spending time together?"

"Uh…" He could almost see the cogs turning in Hidan's head as he worked out how long it had been. "About… two years?"

"Mm-hm. And how long has it been since it stopped being just casual sex?" Hidan opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again almost instantly and frowned as he thought back over the last two years.

"… Oh." He murmured after a while. "Uh. A while. A… a long while." Trying to hide his smirk, Kakuzu went on.

"And whose toothbrush has magically appeared in my bathroom? Who has a couple of shirts hanging in my closet? Who has an entire drawer set aside for their things? Who has their favourite mug in the kitchen cupboard?" He smiled now, and reached across the table to take Hidan's hand. "You're already on your way to moving in, Hidan. Why not make it official?" Hidan stared down at their joined hands for a moment, stroking his fingers against Kakuzu's softly.

"You really want me to move in?" His voice was softer than usual, and held none of its usual arrogance or confidence.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't." Kakuzu's voice was just as soft as Hidan's, and he gave the cop's hand a slight squeeze in reassurance. Hidan lifted his eyes and smiled.

"Well… how could I refuse?" His smile widened into a grin – and Kakuzu matched it with his own. "Wow… this is… it's a big step for me, Kuzu. I'm not the committed type… you know that."

"Funnily enough, Hidan, neither am I." Kakuzu shrugged. "You'd be the first one to share a home with me since law school." He used his free hand to finish off his wine, setting the empty glass back down on the table a moment later. "But I felt it was time we stopped pretending we're not in a serious relationship."

"Yeah… guess you're right." Hidan grinned and downed the rest of his drink. "So… shall we, ah… head back to _our_ place?" Kakuzu ignored the odd little flutter in his chest at hearing Hidan's words, and signalled a waiter to ask for the bill. As soon as everything was paid for, Kakuzu led Hidan out of the restaurant with a possessive hand on his lower back, aware that Hidan was leaning against his side, one arm looped casually around his hips as he nuzzled at his neck, occasionally biting playfully at his jaw. Also aware that everyone in the restaurant seemed to be staring at them, he turned and kissed Hidan before they stepped outside. _Fuck appearances_, he thought, _I want the world to know I love this man_.

-x-

_'Words like violence, break the silence…'_

"Oh, fuck it." Hidan groaned as he rolled over in bed, freeing his limbs from where they'd been tangled with Kakuzu's, and he stretched one arm out from the confines of the sheets, searching for his phone. Beside him, Kakuzu stirred, uttering a rather crude word as he opened his eyes, watching Hidan finally locate the phone. "Ah, shit." He whined, flipping it open to answer. "This had better be important. It's four in the fucking morning." He listened to the voice on the other end, and sighed. "This can't wait until a decent hour? … Alright, alright, I'll be there in a few." He snapped the phone shut and flung it onto the floor, sighing heavily.

"Someone else dead?" Kakuzu enquired, voice thick with sleep. Hidan contemplated sinking back into the warmth of his lover's arms and welcoming sleep once again – it was such an inviting idea, one which didn't involve getting out of bed, getting dressed, and heading down to the station at a stupid hour of the morning, leaving behind a very gorgeous – and very naked – man in their bed.

"No. ME's finished the autopsy on Mizuki." He yawned and rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear them. "Says he has something I might find interesting."

"And the bastard couldn't wait until your shift starts to tell you that?" Despite his frustration, Hidan couldn't help but smirk. If people thought Kakuzu was irritable during the day, he was twice as bad before he'd had his morning coffee. Kakuzu was not a man you woke up before he'd intended to.

"It's important." He sat up, running a hand through his hair. He contemplated the possibility of having a quick shower, but decided against it. So what if the ME would probably be able to smell the sweat and sex on his skin? It'd serve him right for dragging him out of bed at four in the morning. "I've gotta go." With eyes that had adjusted to the darkness, he glanced down at the man sprawled in the bed beside him, and smiled. The lawyer was definitely only half-awake, glaring up at him with the most adorable scowl on his face.

"Fucking cops." He growled, pulling Hidan's pillow over his face as the cop reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. Hidan stifled a laugh as tan arms hugged the pillow, shielding their owner's eyes from the sudden glare. "Why can't you work at a sensible fucking hour?"

"I'll just tell all the murderers to only kill people during the day then, shall I?" Hidan grinned, pulling on a pair of jeans. Fuck if he was dragging on his uniform just to visit the ME. He wasn't even bothering with underwear – for a start, he intended to get this over and done with, and return to his beautiful lover in order to share another nice, long cuddle before said lover got up for work. The fewer clothes he had to take off, the better.

"Yes. Do that. And turn the fucking light off." Hidan picked up the first shirt he could find – ignoring the fact that it actually belonged to Kakuzu – and quickly buttoned it up, dragging a hand through his hair again. It would have to do. He didn't have time to mess with it. He sat on the edge of the bed to pull his boots on, and then he turned, yanking the pillow out of Kakuzu's grasp. "Oi." The lawyer scowled up at him. "Fucking bitch." Hidan simply grinned at him.

"You're adorable when you're sleepy. Plus you swear as often as I do." He laughed, leaning down to kiss him. Despite being tired and irritated, Kakuzu couldn't help but return the kiss. "I'll try to be back before you leave." He murmured against his lips, before bringing them together again.

"Go." Kakuzu muttered, shoving him away after a third kiss. "Be a cop." The scowl had faded, replaced by a very faint smirk. "And go quickly, so I can get back to fucking sleep." Yawning and closing his eyes again, he rolled onto his side so he had his back to Hidan, who simply smiled fondly. He leant over and pressed a kiss to Kakuzu's temple, which earned him another smile. After taking another moment to stroke a hand over Kakuzu's hair, he stood up, grabbed his phone and his keys, switched off the lamp, and left the room.

-x-

When his alarm woke him up at 6am, Kakuzu rolled onto his back, one arm reaching for the body that wasn't beside him. Sighing, he opened his eyes and glanced at the empty space next to him, and spotted the folded piece of paper on the pillow. Propping himself up on his elbows, he reached for the note and sat up, switching off the alarm as he did so. He recognised the paper as belonging to the notebook Hidan carried with him whilst on duty, and as he unfolded it, there was no mistaking Hidan's untidy handwriting.

_'Can't be there when you wake up. Turns out the ME really DID have something important for me. Call me when you're at your office, okay? I could use you. – Hidan._

_Oh, and I stuck the coffee machine on for you. Should be ready by the time you drag your ass out of bed. x'_

Unable to stop the smile from crossing his face, Kakuzu re-folded the paper and dropped it onto the bedside table before throwing back the sheets and, as Hidan put it, 'dragging himself out of bed'. He pulled on a pair of trousers before heading downstairs, where he found that the coffee machine was indeed ready for him. Pouring a mug of the delicious fuel his life ran on, he dragged a hand through his hair and cringed at the amount of tangles in it.

"Damn it, Hidan. Why does he insist on pulling my hair during sex?" He murmured as he made his way back upstairs, taking several much-needed gulps of coffee as he did so. Setting the cup down outside the bathroom, he took a quick shower – quick enough that the coffee was still piping hot when he wandered back out. Downing more of the caffeinated drink, he strode back into the bedroom in order to finish the process of getting dressed. He opened his closet to pick out a shirt – and smirked when he noticed one of them was missing, and all of Hidan's still remained on their hangers. Making a mental note to tease the cop about that later, he selected a crisp, crimson shirt and a sleek black tie to go with it. Leaving the shirt temporarily untucked, and the tie untied, he crossed to his mirror so he could bow-dry his hair. He'd always prided himself on his immaculate appearance in the workplace – because when you're a young lawyer fresh out of law school and looking for decent work, it's all about appearances. Not to mention that appearances have to be kept up once you're in the spotlight. Of course, there was nothing to be done about the old scars that marred his otherwise perfect skin – nor was there a way to cover up the tattoos of his youth. Not that he'd want to cover up either, of course – for a start, the crisscrossing stitches were one of the things Hidan loved most about him. The cop had said so himself only last night. Once his hair was satisfyingly dry, he reached into one of the drawers and pulled out an appliance he'd never use directly in front of Hidan.

Straighteners.

His hair wasn't exactly curly, more like wavy, but it never co-operated all at once. There were always a few strands that refused to lie flat, and so he had to force them to. He'd denied his use of the straighteners, but he truthfully didn't know where he'd be without them. Besides – who was Hidan to judge? He surely used more hair and skin products than four men put together.

Finally, immaculately groomed and dressed, he sorted out the files he had to take into the office with him, and stacked them inside his briefcase. Grabbing his phone, wallet and keys, he headed downstairs, picking up his coat along the way. He'd get to the office, sort his schedule for the day, and then he'd give Hidan a call. He'd barely even pulled out of the drive before his phone started ringing. Sighing in frustration, he activated the Bluetooth, glancing at the caller ID.

"Couldn't wait ten minutes, huh?" He murmured as he navigated the streets.

"Change of plan. I've got a shit load of stuff to get through today – think you could take a detour?" Hidan sounded distracted, and frustrated. Kakuzu decided to play nice, for once.

"Where am I needed and why?"

"Head to the station. I want you to take a look at something." Kakuzu was already changing lanes, having predicted Hidan's response. "It's important to the case – might help you win it."

"I'm insulted that you think I need help to win, Hidan." He drawled, slamming his foot onto the accelerator as he watched the lights up ahead start to change to red. He managed to sail through them just in time, which put a smirk on his face. "I'm a few minutes away. Where in the station am I actually aiming for?"

"Just ask my boys. They'll direct you."

"And why is that easier than you telling me over the phone?" Kakuzu rolled his eyes, turning off onto the road that would eventually take him to the station.

"Because I promised them they'd get a good look at you in person." If he hadn't been driving, Kakuzu's forehead would have become friendly with the steering wheel. "They want to personally meet the man who has 'turned the boss into a lovesick puppy'. Their words, not mine."

"Lovesick puppy, eh?" Kakuzu couldn't keep the amusement from his voice – and he knew Hidan could hear it perfectly.

"I… may have gotten a bit annoyed when I found out my trip home would be a very short one…" Hidan sounded rather uncomfortable now, and it only served to amuse Kakuzu even further. "And may have let slip that I'd been dragged out of _your_ bed, rather than my own… Though I suppose it's our bed now, but they don't know that…"

"You're an idiot. I'm almost there, see you in a few." He hung up before Hidan could respond, and pulled into the side-road that curved round into the station car-park. The second he got out of the car, he knew he regretted agreeing to this. He recognised Hidan's old partner loitering by the doors, a smirk on his face. Ignoring him, he strode past and into the station, automatically heading for the Homicide division. The moment he pushed open the door and stepped into the bullpen, all casual conversation ceased and all the men and women turned to grin at him. With a sigh, he lifted a hand in a minor greeting. "Alright, you've had your look. Now, where's your idiot boss?" A few snickers swept across the room at that comment, and one of the men stood up, leaning on the wall of his cubicle.

"He's in the morgue."

"Oh. Someone finally take his head off for talking too much?" The snickers became laughter this time round, and the man leaning on his cubicle grinned widely.

"Nah, not yet. He likes to hang around there, helps him think." He waved a hand at a door to the left of the bullpen. "Head through there, it's signposted all the way." -Nodding a thank-you at him, Kakuzu turned and strode through the door – hearing the whispers rise into murmurs behind him.

"Fucking cops." He muttered under his breath as he followed the signs that read 'morgue'. Finally reaching the place in question, he pushed through a set of swing-doors and spotted Hidan leaning on the edge of a metal table – upon which lay the corpse of one Touji Mizuki. "This is an odd place to hang around, you know." Hidan looked up, and a smile darted onto his face briefly. "What did you need me to look at?"

"Come here." He beckoned, and Kakuzu approached cautiously. Morgues reminded him of hospitals, and hospitals reminded him of something he wanted to keep buried at the back of his mind. "I know you've seen the crime scene photos, but… take a look." He waved a hand over the corpse, and Kakuzu cringed a little. Still, he knew Hidan wouldn't have called him down here if it wasn't important, and so he found himself inspecting the body. There were five wounds in total – one in the right shoulder, one just below the right collarbone, two in the left arm – shoulder and bicep, and one right between Mizuki's eyes. Dark bruises encased the arm wounds, and there was a particularly nasty bruise spreading across Mizuki's jaw.

"Alright, I've looked. Now tell me why I'm here." Hidan pressed a fingertip to the edge of the forehead wound, and Kakuzu noticed for the first time that the cop was wearing protective gloves.

"As I told you before, this is the one that killed him." Hidan murmured, his hand lifting and travelling further down, to gesture at the scattered wounds across Mizuki's upper body. "Now, I've been in enough court rooms to know what defence lawyers are like. They'll try and play it out that Aoba lost control of the nail gun, hence the number of injuries."

"You don't play it that way." It wasn't a question, and Hidan knew it. He also knew that Kakuzu didn't play it that way, either.

"We have some handy little tricks in this century, y'know? Turns out the ME can roughly predict when these wounds were inflicted." He lifted his eyes, met Kakuzu's. He knew he didn't need to say anything more. Kakuzu would have already figured it out.

"These four were inflicted post-mortem?"

"You got it." Hidan nodded sharply. "So that begs the question – why shoot him four more times if he's already dead? Nail through the forehead killed him pretty damn quickly, so again the defence lawyers will try to play the 'lost control of the gun' story, but it turns out that these wounds were inflicted at least a minute post-mortem."

"Pretty hard to lose control for that long. Especially if I'm correct in thinking the nail gun itself was almost empty at the time. Your guys counted only three nails left, right?" Hidan nodded again. "Since there were no nails littered on the ground at the scene, it can be assumed that the five he shot, and the three remaining, were the only nails loaded. With the speed the gun can fire, there's no way it would take him an entire minute to fire only four more."

"There's more." Hidan smirked a little now. "Turns out, the gun has a safety feature – there's a switch on one side that locks the trigger, which makes it impossible to fire too quickly. It would take at least 30 seconds for the trigger to unlock itself in order to fire another nail."

"I'm guessing the switch was enabled?"

"Doesn't even have Aoba's fingerprint on it. So either he didn't know about it, or he's really fucking stupid." Hidan glanced down at Mizuki, and gestured at the bruising on his jaw. "Bruising occurred before the fatal wound. That adds violence to the scenario – Aoba states they were arguing, but said nothing about things getting physical. He claims they were both shouting, and threats were thrown around carelessly, but there's nothing in his statement that would suggest either of them raised a hand against the other."

"The defence lawyer will tear that apart, put it down to distress."

"I know, which is why I need more. I could nail him – excuse the pun – with the post-mortem injuries, but I still need motive. He could come up with a hundred reasons for shooting an already dead man. If I can get the motive, I can give you solid evidence to shoot him down with."

"You're full of bad puns today, aren't you?" Kakuzu murmured, edging away from the corpse. "Get a copy of the ME report, and any other info you think I might need, and drop it off at my office in two hours, okay? I'll review it, start building the case up." He turned to leave when Hidan gave him an affirmative nod.

"Hey." He turned back around, raising an eyebrow in question. "No goodbye kiss?"

"… We're in a morgue, Hidan."

"So?" Hidan pulled off the gloves, dropping them into a bin, and then strolled over to him, hooking his arms around Kakuzu's hips. "I missed out on hot, morning sex in the shower. I want a kiss." Despite himself, Kakuzu found himself smiling.

"You have some serious issues." But he leant down, pressed his lips to Hidan's, and didn't protest when the cop deepened the kiss. "Two hours. My office." He murmured against his lips.

"Are we going to 'work out our issues' on your desk again?" Hidan grinned.

"If you behave." Kakuzu smirked back at him, and then took a step back. "I have to get to the office. I'm already running late."

"Go. Be a lawyer." Hidan smiled, vaguely echoing Kakuzu's words to him earlier. Kakuzu smirked again and ghosted a hand over the sleek style of Hidan's hair, and then turned and left the morgue, knowing Hidan was watching him every step of the way.

-x-

Hidan was sat in his office, going through the case notes and adding to the report, when one of his men knocked on the door and stepped inside. He glanced up, spotted the papers in the man's hand, and turned to face him, giving him his full attention.

"Something for me, Itachi?"

"I contacted Mizuki's ex-boyfriend, as requested. I asked him the standard questions, and he seemed a little incredulous about the facts Aoba gave us about the incident. He didn't have much time to spare, but he agreed to answer some more questions later. I think he might know something, sir." When Hidan held out his hand for the papers, Itachi stepped forward and handed them over. "I typed up a quick report on the interview. It should outline the basic information. He'll be at home now."

"Thanks, Itachi. Good work." Hidan logged the report down and set it on top of the others on his desk. Then he rose, and walked to the door. "With me." He muttered to Itachi as he strode out of his office and into the bullpen. "Alright, boys and girls. We need to close this case down. I think we're all agreed that Aoba murdered Mizuki, that there was motive and pre-meditation. I want to bring Aoba to justice as soon as possible." He glanced over at a blonde sat at a nearby cubicle. "Deidara, I want you and Sasori to talk to the friends. Get me their thoughts on Aoba, and give them the story Aoba gave us. I want to know how many of them think he's lying, and why. One of them might know something that could point us towards a motive." The blonde nodded, glancing at the redhead beside him. "Itachi, I want you to collect all information you can get on the nail gun. I want solid proof that it is impossible to fire shots too quickly with the safety on. Aoba's going to spin the lie of losing control of the gun – I want to shoot that down, forgive the pun. Shikamaru, I want you and Asuma to question Aoba again, using the information from the ME's report. Let's see what he has to say about the evidence of violence before the murder. Don't mention the safety feature on the gun yet. I'll take the ex-boyfriend, and-," he broke off when he realised his team of cops were all looking over his shoulder. "What?"

"Uh, sir?" Konan smiled a little, and nodded pointedly over his shoulder. Hidan turned slowly, curious, and found himself facing Kakuzu – who was stood in the doorway to the bullpen, looking rather irritated.

"Oh. Kakuzu… what are you doing here?" Kakuzu strode into the bullpen, and made a show of checking the watch on his wrist.

"Well, you were supposed to deliver the ME's report to my office… about three hours ago." Ah. That was why he looked irritated.

"Oh. Shit." Hidan muttered, smiling a little sheepishly. "Sorry, I got caught up with a few new possible leads on the case…" He walked through the bullpen and into his office, returning a moment later with a slim, black file. "Here." He handed the file to Kakuzu. Both of them were aware of the grins and amused glances the other cops were sharing.

"Thank you." He turned to leave, and then hesitated, turning back. "Those new possible leads… anything I need to know?"

"Oh, uh… probably not. They seem to be pretty unreliable." Hidan shrugged. "If any of them check out, I'll give you a call."

"You sure? Or will you just forget again?"

"I didn't forget. I got caught up with something important, alright?" Hidan scowled, which only served to make Kakuzu smirk in amusement.

"Oh, of course." He turned and headed back to the door. "Don't work too hard now; I don't think your brain could handle it." Hidan heard the snickers behind him, and scowled again.

"Oh, bite me, Kakuzu!" He called after him. Kakuzu stopped in the doorway and turned to flash him a grin.

"Have you looked in a mirror today, Hidan? I already did." Hidan felt his face flush and instantly one hand shot to his neck, finding the sore spot that marked where Kakuzu had indeed bitten him the night before.

"Fuck you, you smug bastard." Despite the insult, Hidan's tone was light, and playful. Kakuzu laughed a little as he turned and carried on walking.

"Idiot."

"Jerk!" Hidan was grinning as he called after him, and the grin didn't fade until he turned around and realised his entire division was staring at him with amused smirks. "… What?" He muttered, embarrassed. "I thought I gave you orders." Laughing, the cops disbanded, some returning to their work, and others heading out to complete the tasks Hidan had set them. Hidan strolled back into his office to grab his jacket, attempting to keep his signature scowl on his face – but he couldn't help but smile as he thought of Kakuzu. He walked with some of his men out of the station, preparing to visit Iruka – and stopped dead when he saw Kakuzu standing beside his car in the station car park. He opened his mouth to question why he was still there, but before he could speak, Kakuzu opened the passenger door to his car.

"You're heading to the ex-boyfriend's place, right? It's on the way to my office. I'll give you a ride." Hidan glanced at his fellow officers and rolled his eyes at their suggestive grins.

"Alright, alright." He muttered, walking over and sliding into the seat. Smirking, Kakuzu closed the door and walked around to the driver's side, sliding into the car with more grace than Hidan could manage. "Are you doing this to deliberately embarrass me in front of my men?"

"Hey, you were the one who made me walk through there unnecessarily so they could 'get a good look at me'." Kakuzu murmured as he pulled out onto the road. "You started this."

"Asshole."

"Moron."

"Prick." Hidan couldn't help but smile again – he found himself smiling much more often these days, especially when it came to Kakuzu. "Hey, are you busy?"

"Define 'busy'."

"Well, do you have an hour or so to spare? Or are you busy beating defence lawyers into the ground?" He shifted in the seat, turning so he could watch Kakuzu as he drove. Kakuzu glanced sideways at him and smiled a little, dropping one hand onto Hidan's knee in a rare tender moment.

"Depends on what you want me for." Hidan stroked his fingertips over the back of Kakuzu's hand, keeping his eyes on Kakuzu's face.

"You're good at picking up lies. It's basically what you do every day. I want you to sit in on my interview with Iruka – Itachi reckons he knows something, and if he's hiding it, you'll be able to tell."

"Am I even allowed to sit in on an interview?"

"You're the lawyer for this case. You'd get all the information either way." Hidan shrugged. "I could just… use your help, that's all." As he slowed down at a traffic light, Kakuzu turned and smiled at the cop, turning his hand slightly to lace their fingers together.

"I've got time."

-x-

Hidan strode up to Iruka's front door, Kakuzu in tow. He straightened out his jacket and smoothed back his hair before knocking upon the wood. Kakuzu settled into position beside him, and they both waited as footsteps slowly approached from the other side of the door. When it opened, a young man stood in the doorway, his dark hair pulled into a messy ponytail.

"Umino Iruka? I'm Lieutenant Omairikagai; I spoke to you a few days ago." Hidan smiled. "My detective asked you a few questions earlier today, and you agreed to answer some more when you had a moment?"

"Oh, yes… do come in, Lieutenant." He stepped back so Hidan could step into the house.

"This is Asaito Kakuzu; he's the lawyer for this case." Hidan gestured to Kakuzu, and Iruka smiled.

"I know. I know the name."

"I hope you don't mind, but I've asked him to sit in on the interview."

"Oh, no, of course not… can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?" Kakuzu shook his head, and Hidan smiled.

"No, we're alright, thanks. Shall we take a seat?" Iruka led them into a cosy living room, and gestured to the sofa. Hidan took a seat, and Kakuzu sat rather awkwardly beside him. Iruka hesitated for a moment before seating himself in the chair opposite the sofa. "Detective Uchiha asked you about your relationship with Mizuki at the time of his death. Can you give me details on that?"

"Oh, uh… of course." Iruka rubbed at the bridge of his nose, blushing slightly. "I guess you figured out that we were… close. I mean, we dated before, but we broke up – mutual decision and we stayed friends – but… we started talking about maybe giving it another try."

"I see. Aoba claims he and Mizuki were fighting over the attention of a girl. Can you think of any reason why that might be?"

"Well, not really. Mizuki's been openly gay since he was like, fourteen. He's never even had a girlfriend before. I don't know much about this Aoba – I never really liked him, so I avoided him if we were all out together – but I got the gay vibe from him." Hidan jotted notes down in his notebook, listening closely to every word. Kakuzu's gaze switched between the two men, observing Iruka's every movement.

"Why didn't you like Aoba?"

"I'm not quite sure. At first, I just didn't feel comfortable with him. He was a bit… weird. I guess I didn't try to get to know him, but… I just got a bad vibe from him." Kakuzu made a subtle movement, tapping his knuckles against Hidan's knee as he pretended to scratch at an imaginary itch. Hidan knew what the signal meant – Iruka was hiding something.

"Iruka, I need you to think hard for me. Did Mizuki ever share anything with you that might suggest there was a problem between him and Aoba?"

"Well…" Iruka hesitated.

"I'm going to be honest with you. I believe Aoba intended to murder Mizuki, and I want to make sure he gets the appropriate punishment for it. If you know anything that could point us in the right direction, you need to tell us. Now." Iruka shifted uncomfortably in the chair, and then sighed.

"Mizuki came to me, last week sometime, and said he thought Aoba was following him around, watching him. He was really freaked out by it. He said he'd tried to bring the subject up with him, but Aoba had just gotten angry and stormed out."

"Do you know of the relationship between Aoba and Mizuki? Were they dating? Lovers?"

"Oh… I don't think so. Mizuki told me he hadn't dated since we broke up, because he wanted to focus on his studies. But… I got the feeling that Aoba wanted something with Mizuki. He was attached to his hip whenever we were all out somewhere, and wouldn't leave him alone." Iruka paused, frowning. "I… I think he might have been jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Well, if he was following Mizuki around, then he would have seen him with me. We were getting closer and closer, which is why we talked about getting back together."

"When was the last time you saw Mizuki before his death, Iruka?"

"The… the night before. We met up, went to see a movie together. Mizuki was really edgy during the film, but he seemed to calm down once we were out. Then he kissed me goodbye, and got in a cab home." Tears sprung into Iruka's eyes now. "That… that was the last time I saw him."

"Iruka, you may have just given us a pretty damn good motive for Aoba to plan Mizuki's murder. I'll bring him down, for Mizuki, for you. He won't get away with this, I promise you." Hidan handed him his card. "If you think of anything else, or know someone who might have more information for us, just give me a call. Mr Asaito, I think we've got all we need here. Thank you, Iruka." He stood, and Kakuzu followed suit.

"Lieutenant?" Hidan paused, turned back to face Iruka. "Why didn't Aoba come for me? Why did he kill Mizuki?"

"For all we know, Iruka, he may have planned to come after you, too. Perhaps, if he hadn't believed he'd be able to pass it off as an accident, he would have come for you. But it didn't work out that way – and do not, by any means, believe that any of this is your fault." Hidan walked over and put a hand on Iruka's shoulder. "I'll take Aoba down. He'll pay the price for taking Mizuki's life."

-x-

"So, what do you reckon?" Hidan asked as they made their way to Kakuzu's car.

"He certainly wasn't hiding anything else. I think that's all we're going to get from him." They both slid into the car, and sat there for a moment. "Still, it gives you a hint towards a motive. Guy doesn't like the fact that his hopeful boyfriend-to-be is getting intimate with the ex again, possibly brings it up that night, which leads to an argument, maybe Mizuki tells Aoba where to stick it… and so Aoba plans to dispose of him."

"Hmm, it does sound plausible. Too many kinks, though. It needs to be smooth, and solid. I can't allow him to slip through the cracks here. I need solid proof." He nodded, obviously thinking to himself. "Still got some time?"

"What do you need me for now?"

"You're a fresh set of eyes, and you're trained to look at the little details. You think like a cop." He caught the glance Kakuzu sent his way, and rolled his eyes. "That was a compliment."

"Right. So where are we headed?"

"Mizuki's apartment." Hidan grinned. "The crime scene. I need to look for more clues."

"I figured you'd have picked everything up on the first sweep." Kakuzu pulled out onto the road, turning in the direction of Mizuki's apartment – glad that he'd memorised the address from the files Hidan had given him.

"Everything obvious, sure." Hidan shrugged. "But I'm not talking about standard evidence here. I'm talking about the things that the sweepers would have missed. Things that wouldn't seem important to them." He flashed another grin at Kakuzu. "The little things."

"You want to strengthen Iruka's story." Kakuzu murmured, realising where Hidan's mind had taken him. "You want to find proof that he was out that night, and where he was. You want proof that Aoba might have followed Mizuki."

"I'll find it. Mizuki strikes me as the type to keep things that would appear to have no importance to anyone else. I looked through his room when I first arrived at the crime scene – he likes to keep memories. Guy's gotta have something from that night – the cinema tickets, a receipt, _something_ to prove he was where Iruka says he was."

"You could check security cameras, ask for the footage. Might catch Aoba following him."

"That right there is why you're here. You think like a cop." Hidan repeated with a fond smile. "I'll make some calls while you drive." He pulled out his phone and dialled a number. "Genma. I'm going to contact you later with the name of a movie theatre. When I do, I want you to get the security camera footage from the night before Mizuki died. The ex-boyfriend claims to have been out with him that night, and said they went to see a film together. Also said that Mizuki felt like Aoba was stalking him – when you get the footage, see if you can get the bastard following Mizuki. I want solid proof, Genma." He paused, listened. "Yeah, that's right. This son of a bitch _is_ going down." With a grin, he hung up.

"I do admire how you work." Kakuzu murmured, turning at a set of traffic lights and heading towards the apartment block where Mizuki had lived.

"Hey, I don't make snarky comments in your courtroom." Hidan muttered as he flipped through his notebook.

"I wasn't being snarky." Kakuzu replied calmly. "I meant it." When Hidan glanced at him in surprise, he smiled. "You're a slacker when it comes to fashion sense, cooking a decent meal for yourself, and generally keeping your apartment tidy – but when it comes to your job, you put one-hundred-and-ten percent into everything, even the little things. That's admirable." Hidan waited until they pulled up outside the apartment block before leaning over and pressing his lips to Kakuzu's.

"You're so getting some kind of reward for that later." He murmured against his lips before climbing out of the car and heading to the entrance of the apartment block. Kakuzu couldn't help but smirk as he followed him, wondering exactly what Hidan had in mind. All thoughts of kinky fantasies were pushed to the back of his mind, however, when he entered the crime scene with Hidan.

"Am I even allowed to be here?" He hesitated at the door. "I won't be contaminating any evidence?"

"Nah, sweepers are done with the scene. The cleaners will be in here in a couple of days to tidy the place up and release it to the family. They're gonna sort out Mizuki's things." Kakuzu nodded and stepped into the apartment. It looked like a nice enough place – except for the bloodstains on one wall. "Come on, if he's kept anything, it'll be in his room." Kakuzu followed Hidan through the apartment, and stopped in the doorway of what had once been Mizuki's bedroom. He scanned the room, taking in the details, ignoring the man now rifling through the drawers of the oak dresser against one wall. His eyes found the bed, and the space beneath it.

He strode across the room, avoiding various obstacles scattered on the floor, and dropped down beside the bed, reaching beneath it. His hands ghosted over several pairs of shoes, until his fingers found what he'd been searching for. Smiling a little, he pulled out the shoebox and lifted it onto the bed, flipping open the lid. As he'd predicted, the box was almost completely full with various bits and pieces that would seem like junk to anyone else – but held some sort of importance to Mizuki. He slowly rifled through it, looking for anything that might back up Iruka's story. His fingers found a slip of paper towards the top of the box, and he turned it over, the smile on his face growing as he read the words.

"Hidan." He beckoned to the cop, lifting the paper. "I got the receipt for two cinema tickets right here. Date matches Iruka's story." Hidan walked over and took the receipt, a grin forming on his face.

"Brilliant. You're brilliant." He glanced down at the box. "Where'd you find that?"

"Under the bed." Kakuzu sifted through the contents some more. "I'm guessing this is all stuff he collected during his time with Iruka – maybe even after they broke up. There's a photo of Iruka taped to this inside of the lid. Most of it is receipts from restaurants, but we've got cinema tickets, those ticket things you can win in arcades… my guess is he took something from every date, and kept it in this box."

"Aoba could have found it." Hidan frowned slightly. "There are no other signs of his relationship with Iruka in the room – the only photos of him are in big groups, and there aren't that many. How far back was the box?"

"Right at the front, behind a few pairs of shoes. Not well hidden."

"Easy accessible if Mizuki was out, then." He glanced back at the door. "No lock on the bedroom door. Aoba could have come in here whenever he felt like it, and Mizuki wouldn't know any better."

"Want to take this in as evidence?" Kakuzu closed the lid on the shoebox and held it up.

"Might as well. Could find something else in there." He took the box from Kakuzu and put the receipt back inside it, tucking it under one arm. "How did you know where to look?" Kakuzu shrugged.

"Just seemed logical." He didn't want to admit that he kept one just like it, with something from every date he'd been on with Hidan. He straightened up, looked around the room. "Want me to check for any other clues? Or am I done playing Sherlock?"

"Oh, please." Hidan grinned. "If anyone is Sherlock here, it's me. You can be Dr Watson."

"I'm amazed that you even know who Sherlock is." Kakuzu smirked. "Didn't take you for the classic literature type." Hidan rolled his eyes and gave Kakuzu a playful shove.

"Shut it." He smirked. "I saw the film, idiot." Now it was Kakuzu's turn to roll his eyes. "Anyway, take a quick look around while I check Aoba's room?"

"Sure." Kakuzu turned away from him and crossed to the far end of the room, checking Mizuki's desk. Hidan hesitated a moment, watching him, before smiling and heading out of the room, walking down the hall to Aoba's bedroom. He didn't find much in there – certainly nothing that would help the case. He was just ready to give up and return to Kakuzu when something caught his eye – the carpet in one corner of Aoba's room had been tugged free away from the wall, and there was a definite dip in the floor. Curious, he wandered over and knelt down, carefully pulling back the carpet. The floor underneath was the standard wooden floorboards – and Hidan grinned devilishly when he noticed that one of them was a bit crooked.

"Nice try, Aoba. But this is the oldest trick in the book." Carefully, he squeezed his fingers into the slight gap between the floorboards, and lifted the crooked one, his grin widening when it came free in his hand. He set it to one side and gazed down at the small gap it had created. "Let's see what you were hiding, then…" He reached for the slim flashlight on his belt and clicked it on, shining it into the gap. "Well, well. What do we have here?" He reached in with his free hand, and pulled out a slim see-through plastic file, covered in a light film of dust. Hidan didn't need to open the file to see what was inside it – he could quite clearly see the photographs of Mizuki snapped from a distance, the quality bad enough to have been taken with the lens on full zoom.

"Find something?" Hidan looked up as Kakuzu strode into the room, and he held up the plastic file. "Well… this is interesting. Seems like Mizuki was right to suspect. Aoba _was_ stalking him." Kakuzu murmured, inspecting the photos he could see through the file.

"Can you use this against him?"

"For the murder? It could be a factor, given Iruka's statement and the speculation that the motive could be based on jealousy… but it's not solid enough to nail it."

"Now who's using bad puns?" Hidan smirked, replacing the floorboard and the carpet, being careful to leave it how he'd found it. "Think you could drop me back at the station?"

"No, I thought I'd let you walk back." Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "Come on, copper. Let me take you downtown." Laughing, Hidan stood up and took Kakuzu's hand as they left the apartment. He inspected the photos as Kakuzu drove him back to the station, and found a good handful that also featured Iruka. He'd be questioning Aoba about them later, for sure. "Right, handsome, this is your stop."

"That's Lieutenant Handsome to you, gorgeous." Hidan laughed, leaning over to kiss him. "I might be working late tonight, especially with all this new evidence and information. Don't wait up for me… if it's super late, I'll just crash at my place." Kakuzu caught his arm before he could get out of the car, and sighed.

"Wait, Hidan…" He reached into his pocket and took out his keys, fiddling with them for a moment before holding out a single, silver key. "Take this."

"What…?"

"If you're going to move in, then… you need a key." Kakuzu averted his eyes, obviously slightly embarrassed. Hidan smiled and took the key, pulling Kakuzu in for another kiss.

"I'll see you tonight, then."

-x-

Hidan was bordering on the edge of sleep when he parked his car beside Kakuzu's in the large driveway. He knew he shouldn't have been driving, really, but there had been no one in a better state to drive him home. He glanced at his watch as he strode up to the front door and groaned at the time. The lights were all off in the house, which didn't surprise him. It was late, and he _had_ told Kakuzu not to wait up for him.

He went out of his way to be as quiet as possible as he let himself into the house, grinning a little at the idea that this was officially _his_ house now, and made sure to take off his heavy boots before attempting to get up the stairs in the dark. He gently eased open the bedroom door, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He found the shape of Kakuzu sprawled in the bed and smiled, stripping off his jacket and his shirt, dropping them onto the chair beside the desk he'd sometimes worked at when he'd stayed the night here in the past. Very slowly, he removed his trousers, leaving them where they fell on the floor, and gently slid into the bed beside Kakuzu. He closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep safe with the knowledge that he hadn't disturbed Kakuzu, when he felt the bed shift and a warm hand closed around his.

"You're home, then." Kakuzu murmured. Hidan propped himself up on one elbow and shuffled closer, pressing his chest to Kakuzu's back and resting his chin on Kakuzu's shoulder.

"Sorry, I was trying not to wake you." He laced his fingers with Kakuzu's and smiled when his lover opened his eyes and turned his head slightly to meet his gaze. "How long have you been asleep?"

"Depends. What time is it?"

"Half three."

"Then… about two hours." He muttered, yawning a little. Hidan leant down and nuzzled against his neck affectionately, trying to get as close to him as possible. "You're freezing." Kakuzu sighed.

"And you're warm." Hidan murmured back, pressing a kiss to his neck. "Did you wait up for me?"

"… No. I had work to do." Hidan grinned at the hesitation.

"Really now?" He nuzzled him again, curling his arm around Kakuzu's waist. "So you weren't waiting to see if I came home or not?"

"Well, I… I did… wonder." Kakuzu finally admitted. "Plus you usually call if you're going to be really late…" Hidan laughed a little, hugging him tightly.

"You're so adorable." He grinned, burying his face in Kakuzu's hair. "Oh, Jashin… I love you." The moment Kakuzu tensed, Hidan realised what he'd said. He froze, the grin disappearing from his face, and tried to force back the panic. "Oh… I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"… Yes, Hidan. You did." He couldn't tell from Kakuzu's voice if he was pleased or not, which didn't help the panic. He started to retreat, ready to run if he needed to.

"I… oh, Jashin… I can explain. I just-,"

"Hidan." He broke off as Kakuzu cut in, and bit his lip as Kakuzu turned to face him. He relaxed a little when he saw no anger or annoyance, and his heart slowed down as Kakuzu smiled.

"Yeah?" He muttered nervously. Kakuzu curled his arms around Hidan's waist, pulling him close.

"I love you too, idiot."

* * *

**_Author's Note:_**_ Due to popular demand, Dancing With Death is being turned into a multi-chaptered story. It won't be worked on properly until Child of War is complete, but this was written for a friend's birthday, so enjoy! - hsh13_


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